Ingrid and Ilona When it comes to social media, there are a lot of things to consider in order to stay safe. With so much of our lives now lived online, it’s important to be aware of the risks that come with sharing personal information on social media platforms.
Here, we’ll be giving you some top tips on how to stay safe on social media. From being careful about what you share, to understanding privacy settings and reporting abuse, following these simple steps can help you keep your personal information safe online.
Read on find out more…
Only accept friend requests from people you know
One of the best ways to stay safe on social media is to be careful about who you accept friend requests from. Whilst many people now buy followers on sites like Twicsy, it’s important to be careful about who you follow back. Only accepting requests from people you actually know in real life can help to limit the amount of personal information that strangers have access to. If you’re not sure whether you should accept a request, you can always check to see if you have any mutual friends in common before making a decision.
Be aware of what you post publicly
Another important thing to consider when it comes to social media safety is what you post publicly. Be aware of how much personal information you’re sharing in your posts and make sure that only people who you’re comfortable with seeing that information have access to it. One way to do this is to check your privacy settings and make sure that only your friends or followers can see your posts.
Understand your privacy settings
Speaking of privacy settings, one of the best things you can do to stay safe is to understand the privacy settings for each platform you use. These settings allow you to control who can see your posts and information, so it’s important to make sure that you understand how they work. Each platform has different privacy options, so take some time to familiarise yourself with them and adjust them according to your needs.
Report abuse and harassment
If you experience any kind of abuse or harassment on social media, it’s important to report it to the platform as well as the police. By doing so, you can help to ensure that the person responsible is held accountable and that others don’t have to go through the same experience. If you’re not sure how to report something, you can usually find information in the help section of the social media platform or on their website.
Spotting fake profiles and scams
Another thing to be aware of when using social media is fake profiles and scams. These are usually created by people who are trying to steal your personal information or money, so it’s important to know how to spot them. Some signs that a profile may be fake include: incomplete profile information, few or no friends, faceless profile pictures and posts that seem too good to be true. If you come across a profile or post that you think may be fake, you can report it to the social media platform.
Recognise fake news
In recent years, the spread of fake news has become a major problem on social media. Fake news is often created to deliberately mislead people or to promote factually inaccurate information, and it can be difficult to spot. Some things to look out for include headlines that are sensational or too good to be true, stories that are only sourced from one place, and posts that contain hate speech or bias. If you come across something that you think may be fake news, you can check it against other reliable sources, and never share anything you’re not 100% certain is true.
Conclusion
The proliferation of social media has brought many benefits, but it’s also important to be aware of the risks that come with sharing personal information online. By following these simple tips, you can help to ensure that you and your information stay safe.
